Madden series - American "football" (EA)
Again, this is another game that made its most profound mark on the MegaDrive. Like stablemate, NHL, the relative unpopularity of its subject sport in the UK was at odds with its success over here. It was great when played with a group; it was superfine when you played it on your lonesome. And, although other developers have long since caught up with EA, it was a standard-bearing American football game for an impressive period.

Laser Squad - strategy (Julian Gollop)
The turn-based Rebelstar Raiders that introduced UK players to Julian Gollop's superlative design skills, Laser Squad was the next step up, with five missions to play and a host of other refinements. Julian Gollop's finest moment was yet to come, though: it was UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-COM in the States) that brought his genius onto a wider stage. But it's Laser Squad that we would most like to see re-made in the early stages of the millennium. How's about it, Julian?

Grand Theft Auto - driving game/shoot 'em up hybrid (DMA)
Because it courted controversy, despite being an abstract game to behold. Because it was a game for adults. Because its soundtrack was one of the best ever created. Because it was so cleverly designed. Because the PlayStation version looked dreadful, and jerked like a body popper having a fit mid-performance. Because it was, above all else, fun. Take your pick.

Ultima Online - online adventure (Origin)
Okay, so 3D0's Meridian was there first. We acknowledge that. But Ultima Online is massive. Thousands upon thousands of people play it obsessively every day. We could sit and relate for hours how, in many respects, it's a horribly unbalanced game, with too many problems to mention. But to do so would be to miss a point that its many advocates are all too aware of - the overriding importance of its dynamic communities.

The final game of the feature!
It is almost certainly the most basic game in the 100, and yet you play it by means of analogue control. It has not, to the best of our knowledge, ever appeared on a console, but it is a pillar of PC gaming. Indeed, there are countless millions of copies of this title around the world. The name of this, one of the most incredibly successful games in the history of ever? Minesweeper!